Even 800 miles from New York City, some DePauw students and staff still felt the effects of Hurricane Sandy as it wreaked havoc on the East Coast.
 It flooded cities, shut down trains, subways and schools, robbed almost four million people of power, and killed 93 as of 5 p.m. Thursday.
Management Fellows, Media Fellows and Off-Campus Study Offices reached out to students interning and studying on the East Coast to make sure they were safe. On campus, students from New York City and the East Coast watched the news as Sandy hit their hometowns.
Junior Panyin Conduah is from New York near the Hudson River. “Luckily my family hasn’t been severely affected by the hurricane,” Conduah, who is also a staff writer for The DePauw, said in an email. “I do know that a lot of my friends that go to school in the city weren’t able to go to a school because the Transit System is closed until further notice due to flooding.”
Junior Marissa Jansen, a junior interning with NBC’s Today Show, also noted the public transportation problems.
“New York City relies on the subway system and without it, people in the city are really limited,” she said in an email. “A lot of my friends haven’t been able to make it into work even though they are in the city because all of MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) is shut down.”
Jansen chose to leave New York City before Sandy struck.
“I live on the 18th floor of a very tall building. Losing power would mean not being able to get in and out of my room because of electronic keys, and also the elevators would not work,” Jansen said.
Jansen took the last train out of the city on Sunday evening and has been in Saratoga, N.Y., with her uncle since.
“It’s really unfortunate because I am missing a week of work,” Jansen wrote.
On campus, DePauw has provided students with friends and family in Sandy’s path with support. An email was sent to the student body with information on where to find any support they seek. The Office of Student Life and Counseling Services are open for students who need someone to talk to, and a room in the Spiritual Life Center has been set aside for students who wish to pray or meditate.
“We informed students about the availability of a room at 500 East Seminary [Spiritual Life Center] where one could pray or meditate because often that is useful to students who may not need or want to talk with a counselor, but would like a quiet to sit and reflect,” Cindy Babington, vice president of student life, said in an email.
The support centers will remain available as coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy continues.